Academic experience
I studied PHAR30020 (Drug Action in Body Systems II), PHYS30040 (Endocrine Physiology), PHIL10100 (Existentialism and Humanism), POL10160 (Foundations of Contemporary Politics), ECON10030 (Introduction to Quantitative Economics) and ECON10040 (Economics and Society). My two science subjects combined to give me 2 units credit for BIOM3020 (Integrated Endocrinology) at UQ, while my other 4 subjects combined to give me 6 units of level 1 elective course credit towards my Bachelor of Science. I found that UCD courses had a lighter workload and fewer contact hours than UQ ones, with each only having two lectures a week, and some not having any other components. Lectures aren't recorded, which means you have to attend to keep up with the content, which I actually found beneficial, as the lecturers were quite engaging, enthusiastic, and the class sizes tended to be relatively small, especially in the third year courses (for example, PHYS30040 only had about 12 students enrolled in total). It was sometimes challenging to try and adjust to a different system of learning. For example, many of my assignments required paper copies to be submitted, and the practicals for PHAR30020 were less structured and had less information available about them compared to UQ science courses. The exam style was also more long-answer oriented for my science courses, with less specific questions, so you had to just write as much as you could in response to a general question about a topic, to try and get the maximum number of marks possible. However, overall it was a much more relaxed style of learning and there were far fewer things to be done to succeed academically at UCD, which made exchange enjoyable as we didn't need to stress too much throughout the semester. For my four first year social sciences subjects, I enrolled for them online on the date specified for that faculty, and had to specifically pick the tutorial classes I wanted to attend (where relevant). All of my courses had set lecture times, so you don't need to pick this, but you should be aware that if any of your lectures for your 6 subjects clash, you won't be able to enrol in those clashed subjects, and will need to find alternative subjects altogether. So it's important to make sure that you have plenty of alternative subjects in your study plan that you can and would like to do, because you might find an unavoidable clash. A subject you had your heart set on might not even be offered that semester by UCD for unknown reasons, so I would also recommend saving up as much elective space as possible so you don't end up in a situation where you can't do a subject you need to do to get credit for a major/degree at UQ, which could end up delaying your graduation/forcing you to take a reduced load while on exchange, etc. I was enrolled by the Science faculty at UCD into my science subjects, you don’t do that on your own, but you can access the schedule beforehand to make sure they don’t clash. And you select your own science subject practicals, where relevant.
Personal experience
The personal experiences I had while on exchange were the best part of the overall experience. Getting to meet so many people from around the world, immersing myself in a different culture and learning how different life is in Ireland compared to Australia (as similar as one might think it is), and getting to travel all around Europe while based in Ireland was an incredibly valuable experience. During the semester I had more than enough time and flexibility with university to travel to Belfast, Galway, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Warsaw and Krakow, and others fit many more trips into their semesters. I saved most of my travelling for after the semester, when I went to the south of France, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal and Spain over a span of 7 weeks.
Accommodation
The personal experiences I had while on exchange were the best part of the overall experience. Getting to meet so many people from around the world, immersing myself in a different culture and learning how different life is in Ireland compared to Australia (as similar as one might think it is), and getting to travel all around Europe while based in Ireland was an incredibly valuable experience. During the semester I had more than enough time and flexibility with university to travel to Belfast, Galway, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Warsaw and Krakow, and others fit many more trips into their semesters. I saved most of my travelling for after the semester, when I went to the south of France, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal and Spain over a span of 7 weeks.
Costs
My rent for the semester on-campus at UCD was approximately AUD$6700, with a 400 euro deposit that was returned at the end of the semester. Transport was a flat 2.25 euro for most bus trips within Dublin, with a flat cap for students of 5 euro per day, so if you take more than two trips in a day you don’t pay any extra. Travel was my biggest expense throughout the semester and in the 7 weeks I spent travelling following the conclusion of my exchange semester. I would probably budget around 10 000 AUD for the actual semester for the basics of rent, food, transport and entertainment, and more depending on how much you intend to travel and eat out.
Challenge
The biggest challenge of going on exchange was being able to form strong friendships in a short amount of time and make friends out of complete strangers. This was the main personal goal I had for myself when I decided to go on exchange, and it was difficult at times to put myself out there, be friendly and say yes to as much as possible. Overcoming this challenge mostly involved reminding myself that exchange was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I would regret it if I didn’t do my best to meet and get to know as many new people as possible.
Professional Development
I gained skills in being able to network, navigate travelling and living in foreign countries independently, and study a range of different topics from a foreign perspective. I think these were invaluable aspects of my exchange that have helped me understand the world in a broader context and become more personable and confident, which will help me greatly as a professional and as a person.
Highlight
The highlight of my experience was just being involved in Irish culture, and making such amazing friends from all over the world. I loved being in Dublin and learning about what it means to be Irish, and how different things are in that part of the world. Getting to do it with complete strangers that then become some of your closest friends was unbelievable.
Top tips
Budget as much as possible, as Dublin is a deceivingly expensive city to live in. Get OS-HELP if you can, as this will be a big help financially. Try to travel while you’re based in Dublin, as Ryanair flights get quite cheap if you book far enough in advance, and the low workload at UCD will mean that you have more than enough ability to do many weekend trips to other countries if you plan well. Try to meet as many new people as possible, you’ll find that even the friendships that don’t stick will teach you something about people that you might not have known before. Finally, just go. If you’re unsure about going on exchange because you’re afraid of leaving familiarity, or leaving friendships, etc. don’t worry. There isn’t a single person I know who has regretted going on exchange, it will be one of the most valuable and memorable experiences of your life, and one that you can’t replicate.